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Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Friday, September 24, and Saturday, September 25. All times are Eastern. Advertisement Top picks Foundation (Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m.): Created by David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman, this science-fiction series is based on Isaac Asimov’s novels of the same name. It chronicles an epic thousand-year saga of a band of exiles known as The Foundation, who discover that the only way to save the Galactic empire from destruction is to defy it. When revolutionary Dr. Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) predicts the impending fall of the Empire, he ventures to the far reaches of the galaxy with a band of loyal followers in an attempt to rebuild and preserve the future of civilization. The cast includes Lee Pace, Alfred Enoch, Terrence Mann, Leah Harvey, and Laura Birn. Nick Wanserski will be recapping the series weekly. Season one premieres with two new episodes. Midnight Mass (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): … [Read more...] about Apple TV Plus transports Isaac Asimov’s Foundation from page to screen

Apple surprised people by warning that “exposure to vibrations, like those generated by high-powered motorcycle engines” can damage iPhone cameras. There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for this, and it can affect Android devices, too. It’s easy to make the iPhone the butt of a joke—and Apple didn’t do themselves any favors —but this is a legitimate issue. It all revolves around optical image stabilization (OIS), which is a feature found in many modern smartphones, not just iPhones. What Is Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)? Optimal image stabilization is a feature that aims to stabilize the camera while you snap a photo or record a video. RELATED What Is Image Stabilization, and How Does It Work? A camera with OIS has a tiny internal motor inside that physically moves the elements inside the lens. As your hands slightly move or shake while holding the phone, the motors counteract your motion. This results in a smoother video and less blur in … [Read more...] about How Vibrations Can Ruin Your iPhone or Android Camera

Every Friday, A.V. Club staffers kick off our weekly open thread for the discussion of gaming plans and recent gaming glories, but of course, the real action is down in the comments, where we invite you to answer our eternal question: What Are You Playing This Weekend? Advertisement When was the last time a video game secret felt genuinely, well, secret? A month? A year? Or maybe that should be 10 years—given that we’re currently marking the decade anniversary of Dark Souls , a game so steeped in delicious obscurity that it’s hard to believe it spawned one of the most resolutely influential gaming franchises of the modern generation. Dark Souls has been praised, dissected, and doled out as parts exhaustively over the last decade, both by its own creators, by critics, and by the hordes of imitators it’s spawned. But few of those followers were ever daring enough to be as deliberately, irritatingly obtuse as From Software’s masterpiece, a … [Read more...] about Ten years later, few games have matched Dark Souls’ delicious obscurity

When Romance Met Comedy With When Romance Met Comedy , Caroline Siede examines the history of the rom-com through the years, one happily ever after (or not) at a time. Monsoon Wedding opens with a shower of crumbling marigold petals and closes with a torrential downpour. While the early shot seems to portend trouble for the couple entering into an arranged marriage a few days later, the rain itself doesn’t ruin their wedding so much as enrich it. The deluge outside only adds to the warm atmosphere inside the colorful, waterproof reception tent where the bride and groom’s massive, multi-generational families dance alongside servants and wedding planners. The characters have come out of a harrowing, chaotic week more level-headed but also more romantic. You can’t control the weather, so you might as well embrace it. Advertisement In the era of Runaway Bride and The Wedding Planner , Monsoon Wedding pointedly offered a different kind of romantic … [Read more...] about Monsoon Wedding served up a different kind of wedding comedy

Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Thursday, September 23rd. All times are Eastern. Advertisement Top Pick Doom Patrol (HBO Max, 3:01 a.m., season three premiere): Alex McLevy’s pre-air review of the season three premiere gives fans a lot to be excited about: “ After a premiere episode that quickly wraps up the lingering storylines of season two (and falls victim to the same too-somber, woe-is-us tone that hampered it), the show reasserts the best version of itself: a series about a bunch of fucked-up weirdos that don’t let their inner turmoil and pain keep them from throwing caution to the wind and saying yes to just about every ludicrous predicament that comes their way....For at least the first half of season three, all our messed-up wannabe heroes are back together at the mansion: the aforementioned Robotman (Brendan Fraser), Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero), Rita Farr/Elasti-Girl (April Bowlby), Larry Trainor/Negative Man (Matt … [Read more...] about Misfits, assemble: Doom Patrol returns tonight